The Other Coraline
by Dottie-Ditto
Summary: Wybie dreams of a better life.When the other mother escapes and creates that life to ensnare him, it's up to coraline to get him back. WybiexCoraline
1. Chapter 1

He'd loved her for the longest time…

Since the first time she punched him in the arm, Wybie had loved Coraline Jones.

At first he'd just been watching her because Cat had told him to, but the more he watched her, the more she intrigued him. She wasn't like other girls. He'd guessed that from her blue hair, but she was just so… he didn't know how to explain it. She was brave, and tough and smart. She liked exploring and insects, best of all, she wasn't afraid of him. He'd liked other girls before, but they'd get scared whenever he tried to talk to them. Coraline was occasionally annoyed by him (okay, _often_ annoyed by him) but she was never frightened. In the months since she'd moved into the pink palace, she'd become his best friend- in fact, his only friend, besides Cat, of course.

Wybie sighed as he pondered these thoughts in his bed. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and he needed to get up. He had a lot of work to do this morning- the right gasket on Frankenstina had blown out last night, and he had to fix it if he wanted to get to school on time. And he had to put food out for Cat, or Cat would get inside and start scratching Gramma's couch again, and then Gramma would kill both of them…

Reluctantly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and shivered. It was freezing out this morning. He hurriedly pulled on his work overalls and headed to the garage. He'd replaced gaskets in his beloved bike before, so all he had to do was find one in the muddled mess that was his workbench. Grandpa had showed Wybie how to use tools as soon as he was big enough to hold them, and set up a nice little workbench that was all his own. When he'd only had simple tools like wrenches and screwdrivers, it had been easy to keep the space organized, but after Grandpa died and he taught himself how to fix Gramma's car, the space had gotten significantly more cluttered with power tools of every kind. He didn't mind though. It was all in finding the thing he needed. As he found the replacement gasket and began patiently fixing Frankenstina, his thoughts wandered to Coraline again, or, specifically, Coraline's hair. He'd always been curious why she'd picked blue to dye it. It was strange to him- she wasn't the type to be called a "rocker" or anyone else who'd stereotypically have blue hair. Not that he minded of course, he liked her hair. It was… interesting.

_I still don't see why you can't just tell her how you feel…_

Wybie shifted his eyes and saw Cat perched on the hood of grandma's old Cadillac licking his paws and staring at him with the same dry amusement as always.

"You'd better get off of Gramma's car." Wybie said nonchalantly. He'd been able to understand Cat for as long as he could remember. "If she finds out you sat there she's gonna have a heart attack"

_You're dodging the question, Wybourne_

"You didn't ask one" Wybie answered smugly, twisting the gasket into place. "Now do you want breakfast or not?"

_You know my weakness, I'm afraid. _Cat's ears twitched _but don't think I won't bring it up later…_

"Whatever you say, Cat" Wybie scooped Cat up and laughed as he headed back to the house.

As he came through the door, Wybie saw that Gramma was already up and cooking breakfast. He saw a plate of scrambled eggs on the counter and smelled sausages cooking on the stove. Wybie smiled, Gramma was 73 years old-she could barely see and was finding it harder and harder to get around- but every day she insisted on getting up at 6:30 in the morning and cooking breakfast.

"Morning, Gram." Wybie said as he reached into the pantry and pulled out a can of tuna for cat.

"Good morning, Wybourne" Gramma's wrinkled face folded into a warm smile. "As soon as you feed that cat of yours, you go and get your school clothes on. Breakfast is almost ready."

"Roger." he said as he rummaged through the kitchen drawer for the can-opener and put the tuna into a bowl for cat. He ran up the stairs and put on his dreaded school clothes-boring gray pants, a boring white shirt, and the itchiest gray sweater in the world. He always felt uncomfortable in them- and at school in general, but Gramma was adamant about him getting a good education, and there was never any use arguing with gram.

"WYBOURNE!" he heard her yell from the kitchen "BREAKFAST IS READY!"

"COMING!" he yelled as he grabbed his bag and raced down the steps. He was pleased to come down to see breakfast on the table.

"Thanks Gram," Wybie smiled as he reached for the maple syrup to pour on his sausage.

"Wybourne," Gram sat across the table from him and sipped her tea. "I got a call from your uncle Herb last night, your aunt Pam is sick. We're going to go visit her this weekend."

Wybie nearly choked on his chocolate milk.

"What?! I can't go this weekend! Coraline and I are supposed to go see _Zombie Circus_! We've been waiting for it to come out for 3 months!"

That was the wrong thing to say. Gramma's soft face became stony. Wybie cringed. His grandmother was a sweet woman and Wybie loved her very dearly, but she was terrifying when she was mad.

"Now you listen to me Wybourne Jeremiah Lovatt" Wybie winced at the sound of his full name "This zombie-whatever-it-is will just have to wait. Your aunt Pam is much more important than some silly picture show. Now, you will tell that Jones girl that you will not be able to go this weekend, and you will come straight home after school and pack your things. IS THAT CLEAR?"

"Y…yes Gramma" Wybie choked.

"Good. Now finish your breakfast or you'll be late for school"

"Yes Gramma"

Wybie finished his breakfast in silence. _Crap!_ He'd been waiting to see this movie forever, and Coraline had even agreed to go with him- and she'd seemed excited about it too! Now he was going to have to spend the weekend sitting in the Cadillac next to Gram instead of next to Coraline in the PG13-zombie-bloodbath of his dreams. _Kill me now_, Wybie thought.

Wybie ate the last bite of his eggs, rinsed off his dishes in the sink, and kissed Gram on the forehead before getting on Frankestina and riding off to what he was sure would be the worst day of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

The Other Coraline, Chpt 2

Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who's read and enjoyed the first chapter! Special thanks to everyone who's reviewed, it was a big help! Sorry I took so long to put chpt 2 up, a giant project and a family function have slowed me down. Anywho, here's chpt 2, from Jonesie's POV this time. I'm planning to alternate between their two perspectives, but we'll see if I catually end up doing that…

I own nothing.

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" Bye, mom" Coraline called as she hopped out of her mom's car. She walked up to the front steps, where students congregated before class. A few groups of girls were giggling and talking, and some boys tossed a football back and forth. Coraline looked around, but there was no sign of the slouchy, mop-headed weirdo she called a friend. She was about to go see if any of the girls from the soccer team were there early when she heard it.

That annoying mix between the roar of an engine and the whine of a wind-up toy…

It was Wybie's homemade motorbike, Frankenstina. Coraline smirked and turned around just in time to see him sailing towards her, waving and grinning like an idiot.

"Hey Jonesie!" he called as he zipped past her. He was so intent on greeting her that he barely noticed the bike racks in front of him. He managed to break in time to keep his bike from crashing into the rack, but not in time to keep himself from careening over the racks and into the bush on the other side.

Coraline couldn't help but laugh and she ran over to help him up. She'd seen him dangled over a well as his fingers were jabbed at by a hand made of needles- he could handle a little tumble.

" Nice going, Wybourne," she said as she helped him to his feet " That was so graceful"

" Why thank you, _Caroline_" Wybie retorted, receiving a swift punch in the arm.

"Ow! Hey, you started it!"

"And I finished it too." Coraline smiled smugly " You know my name."

" Indeed, I do, Jonesie" Wybie rubbed his arm " And I'm pretty well aquainted with your fists, too"

" It's not my fault you're too slow to duck" Coraline said matter-of-factly. " Anyway, you're staying for the soccer game after school right? It'll be my first match as a team member."

Wybie looked like a puppy who'd just seen his mother run over.

" That _is _today, isn't it?"

" Yeah" Coraline said "Why? What's wrong?"

" Nothing's wrong, really." Wybie slouched even more and shifted his eyes " It's just that Grammas on one of her crusades and I have to get home right after school and pack so we can go to visit my aunt Pam in Minnesota for the weekend."

" Oh, well, okay then. I guess." Coralline shrugged. She would've liked for him to come, since her parents would probably forget. " I guess that means we have to wait to see _Zombie circus,_ huh?"

"Looks that way". Wybie seemed really upset. Or did he look tired? Coraline couldn't tell.

"Well, whatever." Coraline shrugged "I'll have other games. It's no big deal."

Wybie gave a weak smile, and Coraline punched him lightly in the arm.

"Well, then," Wybie said as he rubbed his arm "We'd better get to class"

Coraline yawned in the back of class. Miss Carter droned on and on about cross multiplying fractions, but she just couldn't focus. She was doodling dragons in her notebook when a paper airplane landed on her desk. She looked up and saw Wybie waving at her from 3 desks over, visibly much happier than he was this morning. She rolled her eyes and opened it to see a note in Wybie's cramped, nearly illegible handwriting.

_I'm really tempted to set Slugzilla on her_. It read. _At least then class would be interesting._

The note was complete with a drawing of Miss Carter with a giant yellow slug looming over her. There was a speech bubble coming from her mouth screaming I NEVER SAW VENICE! AUGGGGHHHH!

Coraline couldn't help but laugh.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Caroline?" Miss Carter had walked up to Coraline's desk and looked down her nose ominously.

" It's Coraline, actually." She chuckled nervously

"Hand it over" the teacher held out her hand. Coraline reluctantly obeyed.

Miss Carter opened the note and stared at it sternly.

" Wybourne Lovatt," she said coldly " would you please explain this?"

"What?" Wybie's eyes were as big as dinner plates. Coraline cringed. Wybie hated having that many eyes on him, it made him stutter more than usual.

" Explain to the class who this 'Slugzilla' is" Miss Carter smirked cruelly.

" W…well," Wybie slouched even further than Coraline had thought possible" I…it's a b..b..banana slug"

"A banana slug?" Miss Carter raised one eyebrow

"Y…yes" Wybie looked anxious as kids started to snicker " I… I found him, o..over the s..s.."

"S..s…sanctuary!" Biff Warden, a boy on the football team yelled " Sit down, Quasimodo" the class laughed, and Wybie shrunk back into his seat. Miss Carter sneered and returned to the front of the room. Coraline felt terrible. She looked over at Wybie and could see him with his head on his desk. She sighed. He was having one rough day. She thought for a minute, then started doodling enthusiastically .

When class ended, Coraline ran up to Wybie and slipped her handiwork in his binder while he wasn't looking.

" That was brutal." She said "Sorry I got you in trouble."

"Nah," Wybie shrugged- trying to brush off how terrified he'd been " it's fine. I mean, did you see her? She was like Belial from _Basket Case_! Glaaghhhh!" Wybie did his best impersonation of the rubber, deformed monster from the bad 70s movie he'd showed her a few weeks back. Coraline couldn't help but laugh. She clapped a bit, and Wybie gave a dramatic bow.

" Well," Wybie smirked "I'd better get home, or Gramma'll blow her lid." Coralline smiled as he put his binder in his backpack. "Good luck in your game, Jonesie. I'll catch ya later."

" Bye." Coraline called as he ran out of the room " Have a good time in Minnesota!".

As Coraline started to walk to the girls locker room to get changed, she heard the familiar whirr of Frankenstina, and smiled in spite of herself.


	3. Chapter 3

As Wybie zoomed down the road on his way home, he caught a glimpse of the Joneses silver, Volkswagen beetle heading toward school. Wybie smiled. Coraline's parents must've been on the way to her soccer game. Wybie, for one, liked Coraline's parents, and felt that she was a bit too hard on them. They might've been busy a lot, but at least they were there, which was more than Wybie could say about his...

To say that Wybie was an orphan wasn't exactly right. As far as he knew, he had a living mother. He hadn't seen her since he was about 4, but he had vague memories of living with her, and then clearer memories of her leaving him at Gramma's door and never coming back. As far as his father, he knew nothing about him, but he liked to imagine that he was a glam-metal rock star and that his mother had left him with Gramma to chase the musician she loved.

Wybie pulled into the garage and propped Frankenstina up against the tool bench. Gramma was sitting on the porch in her travelling coat waiting for him. She really hadn't been joking about leaving right after school.

"Good afternoon, Gramma." Wybie walked onto the porch and kissed her forehead. "How was your day?"

"It was fine." Gramma patted his head "now you go and get packed up. We need to head out soon."

Wybie went into the house and jogged up the stairs to him room. He'd had a suitcase once, but he couldn't remember where it was. Oh well. He shrugged and went over to his dresser. He pulled out 2 pairs of black jeans, 2 t shirts, and a black sweater. He unzipped his backpack and turned it upside down, letting all of the books inside land on his bed. His math binder fell last. As it flopped onto the pile, a piece of folded paper fluttered out. Wybie picked it up and unfolded it. It was a note-a note in Coraline's large, loopy handwriting.

_Serves her right,_ the note was followed by a picture of Slugzilla chomping off Ms. Carter's head. _Have a good weekend!_

Wybie stared at the note with glee. Coraline was the best friend he could ever hope for. He loved her _so much…_

Wybie heard the engine of the Cadillac rev, Gramma was ready to leave, it seemed. He was halfway down the steps when he heard a familiar POW, of the engine dying.

"Wybourne!" Gramma called "There's something wrong with the car again!"

Wybie sighed. That car was always breaking down no matter how often he fixed it…

"I'm on it! Gimme a sec!" Wybie shouted as he ran up the stairs and changed into his work overalls. He tucked the note from Coraline in his pocket and headed down to the garage to check out the car. One of the pistons on the engine had broken. Wybie smiled. This would be a good few hours of engine work, not to mention the time it would take him to ride to the auto parts store and back. It looked like they wouldn't be going to Minnesota after all…

"Go get whatever part it is that you need" Gramma said, noticing his expression. "And we'll just leave in the morning."

Leave it to his Gramma to see right through him. _Oh well_, he thought as he hopped on his bike and headed into town. _at least that buys me some time. Maybe she'll change her mind in the morning._

The extreme unlikelihood of Gramma changing her mind, ever, notwithstanding, Wybie pointedly took an extra long time getting the part he needed. He was lucky to have found it at all, really, as vintage Cadillac parts were in short supply. Thankfully, Bud, who owned the auto parts store, had parts for cars going back all the way to 1922. He went back into the back some place and came back with a mint piston from the very year Gramma's car had been made.

"Now, you sure you can handle a job like this all by yourself, Wybie?" Bud asked "This is serious engine work you're gonna be doing, so if you need me to help…"

"I'll be fine, Bud" Wybie said calmly. He didn't bother to mention that he'd rebuilt that engine twice and that he was currently building a new engine for Frankenstina. He could handle a simple part replacement like this. He stuck the bag with the new piston on his handlebars and started to ride home slowly. He considered going the long way through the woods in hopes that he might see Coraline, but if Gramma found out, as she certainly would, he'd be in a world of trouble. He headed the straight way home, but he rode slowly, taking as much time as possible.

He ended up spending the entire night working on the engine patiently. He decided to do a check of everything while he was working, so that he wouldn't have to fix it again anytime soon. He stayed in the garage all night, stopping only once for dinner. He was gonna be sure that everything was really in working order.

While he worked, he was often aware of Coraline's note in his pocket (largely because he was terrified of getting grease on it). It made him feel wonderful to know that Coraline looked out for him like she did. Most boys his age would hate feeling like they relied on a girl, but Wybie was far beyond the limited gender roles they subscribed to. Wybie was skinny, slouchy, and not the least bit athletic. Coraline, on the other hand, was tough and athletic, and, since her run in with the other mother, virtually fearless. He had no problem with her being his protector, indeed, he loved that about her. He remembered how she'd taken on Biff in the very first week she was going to Ashland Academy. He was twice as big as her, and an eighth grader, but that didn't scare her. She'd walked right up to him and looked him straight in the eye, informing him very matter-of-factly that _she_ was the only one allowed to punch Wybie. This, of course, hadn't made her very popular, but she always stayed by Wybie, which surprised him. He'd been quite sure that when they started school, she'd make new friends and stop hanging out with him, but she never had.

Wybie finished fixing the engine by nightfall. All of a sudden, he was feeling really tired. He walked up to his room, kicked off his boots and flopped onto his bed, not even bothering to change out of his overalls. He pulled out Coraline's note and stared at it for a moment before he heard a familiar scratching at his window frame- it was Cat. Wybie got up and opened the window.

_When I was your age,_ Cat jumped into Wybie's room and set a dead sparrow at the foot of Wybie's bed, _and I was interested in girls, I'd give them something like this. Maybe that would work on your little crush._

"What?" Wybie sighed "No way! Girls don't like stuff like that! Besides, I listened to your romantic advice before and Emma Golden was not fond of that dead rat!"

_Suit yourself_ Cat licked his paws nonchalantly.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Wybie said "Gramma and I are leaving for the weekend tomorrow. Do you think you can keep an eye on Coraline while I'm gone?"

_She's not the one who needs looking after_ Cat eyed Wybie Pointedly.

Wybie stuck his tongue out at cat "you know what I mean."

_Very Well,_ Cat yawned. _I suppose I'll just have to fend for myself for two days. Goodnight_

As cat jumped out the window, he contemplated what cat had said. He definitely wasn't going to give Coraline a dead bird, but what was a good way to show her he liked her? Maybe if he did something for her, or made her something? He stared at the note again. Who was he kidding? Coraline would never like him back. He would never be anything more to her than a weird, mildly annoying friend to her, and he was lucky to be that much. He folded the note back up and stuck it in his pocket. He yawned, and then fell asleep without even changing into his pajamas…

Wybie woke up with a start in the middle of the night. His room was freezing. He sat up, and saw a thin beam of light spreading across his floor from the door. There was a shadow in it, but from the way the light looked, it seemed like the shadow of a tall, terribly thin person…

"Wybie, psst" a voice came from the door, a voice he knew all too well.

"Coraline?" Wybie rubbed his eyes. He could see her outline from the light in the door, but not her face. The only part of her that he could really see was her right hand, teal nails and all, gripping the door.

"Shhhh!" Coraline hissed "You'll wake your Gramma up" there was something strange about her voice. She sounded punchy and desperate.

"Sorry," Wybie whispered. "What's up? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I need to show you something." She said "Come on."

Coraline turned and headed down the hall. Wybie quickly grabbed his coat and pulled on his boots before heading out after her. She walked frightfully fast. She was out of the door by the time Wybie was at the top of the stairs, and halfway to her house by the time he was out the door. He could only see her silhouette in the moonlight, but it was enough for him to know where she was headed. They arrived at Coraline's house and she quickly slipped through the door. She wasn't making a sound, so Wybie tried to tiptoe as he followed her into the sitting room- the one Coraline normally refused to go into.

Coraline sat by a tiny door in the wall, backlit by the moonlight streaming through the window. Wybie scrambled in and sat next to her in the shadow.

"Look" Coraline held up a key. It was old and black and heavy, and the end looked to him an awful lot like a button…

"Wait a minute," Wybie whispered "Isn't that the key you threw down the well?"

"Yeah," Coraline's voice sounded shaky "I think she might be back. We need to go through and make sure she's not there." She thrust the key into his hand.

"Unlock it." She whispered.

"What?!" Wybie squeaked. He'd heard enough horror stories from Coraline to know that that door should never be opened. "But what if she is over there? What then Coraline? Shouldn't we at least wait until morning? Get a flamethrower of something?"

"No!" Coraline hissed "We need to do it _NOW! Just do as I say!_"

Wybie was stunned. Coraline occasionally punched him, often teased him, but she had never talked to him like that before. There was an edge in her voice that he didn't like; that he could've sworn hadn't been there before.

"Look," Coraline said, her voice softer now "I'm sorry, I just really need to do this" she reached over and squeezed his hand "please?"

Wybie's ears were ringing, was Coraline holding his hand? He felt his face getting hot and his mind getting dizzy, he couldn't say no to her, not when she was holding his hand like this. Wybie gulped, squeezed Coraline's hand back, and unlocked the door.


	4. Chapter 4

As the sun spilled into Coraline's window, she sat bolt upright, shivering. It had all been a dream; she reminded herself as she got out of bed and checked her clock. It was 7 in the morning. Her parents were probably still asleep. Coraline sighed and draped her blanket around her shoulders. She got up and walked down to the kitchen. Ever since she'd escaped her other mother, Coraline had terrible nightmares. In this one, she'd seen herself with buttons for eyes.

Coraline poured herself come cereal and a glass of orange soda- her parents weren't awake to say she couldn't. She took her breakfast into the living room and watched cartoons. None of the cartoons that were on were very good, but it was better than the news or TV church. It was about 9 when Coraline heard her father coming down the stairs. Coraline looked out the window. It was an overcast, foggy day, the kind that was perfect for exploring.

"Morning, Dad" Coraline put her cereal bowl in the dishwasher as her father poured himself some coffee.

"Morning, Twitchy witch girl" her father messed up her hair affectionately.

"Can I go outside?"

"As long as you go before your mother wakes up, because she'll say no." Her father winked at her.

Coraline smiled from ear to ear.

"Thanks dad!" she called as she ran up the steps to get dressed. She quickly put on jeans, a t shirt, and her boots. She buttoned her coat and pulled on her explorer's hat as she ran out the door.

Coraline looked out into the hills and woods. It was the kind of day that Wybie would be out, looking for newts and snails and slugs and little snakes in. She was trying to decide where to go first, when she felt something rubbing against her leg. It was Cat. Coraline knelt down and scooped him up.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" Coraline scratched between cat's ears and walked inside with him. Wybie usually fed cat breakfast, and Coraline fed him dinner. She poured him a bowl of milk and stared out the window while he finished it.

"Let's go up to the woods" Coraline finally said. She turned and headed out the door. She walked for what seemed like forever. She'd almost forgotten how much of a pain it was to have to walk through these hills. At this point, she rode on Wybie's handlebars everywhere. She remembered the first time she'd done that. She'd been absolutely terrified…

"_Hey Jonesie."_

"_Hi, Wybie"._

"_What are you hanging around school for?"_

"_I think my parents forgot me, they were supposed to pick me up right after classes…"_

"_Well, do you need a lift?"_

"_On your bike?"_

"_Jonesie, Frankenstina is not just a bike. She's a custom built motor bike. Made her myself."_

"_Well, where would I sit?"_

"_On the handlebars, of course"_

"_Is that safe?"_

"_Trust me."_

She'd been terrified that she would fall off, but it was actually fun. It didn't even matter that she was in Wybie's way, because he knew the roads here better than Coraline knew her own room. She sat on a rock amongst the trees. Cat curled up in her lap, and she stroked his neck sleepily. She yawned and laid back to look at the sky…

She was with Wybie. They were running, holding hands, running so fast that the world seemed a blur. She turned to look at him, he was smiling. She smiled too. They stopped in a clearing by a pond.

"I love you, Coraline" he said. Strangely, this didn't surprise her. It made her smile even more.

"And you know I love you" she said. Why was she saying that? What was she talking about? Wybie reached down and picked up a stone to skip, and Coraline looked into the water. It took her a minute to realize what was wrong.

She had big, black buttons for eyes…

Coraline snapped awake. It had just been another nightmare. She sighed heavily and got up off the rock. Cat was gone, and the sun was high in the sky. Coraline dusted herself off and walked home for lunch. Both her parents were working now, so Coraline made herself a microwave pizza and took it into the living room with another glass of orange soda. She watched some more cartoons. It wasn't as fun as watching bad horror movies with Wybie. She put her coat back on and headed outside again.

She walked aimlessly for a while, then looked around and realized she'd walked up to where the old well was. This was where Wybie had almost run her over with his bike when they first met. Coraline had been irritated by everything about him that day, and was certain that she didn't like him in the least. That had changed when he saved her life, though. Coraline's eyes wandered around the hills and fell on the old well.

Her heart stopped beating.

Her mind must've been playing tricks on her. She rubbed them and looked again.

Her eyes were right.

The well was uncovered.

Coraline ran up to it, her heart racing. There was only darkness inside it, but on one side of the well, she saw what looked like claw marks. Coraline got up and raced home. It couldn't be. It couldn't…

She ran inside and opened the door. Her parents were in the front hall, putting their coats on.

"Coraline," her mother said, sounding worried "have you seen Wybie?"

"No," Coraline said "he's in Minnesota for the weekend, isn't he?"

"No" Coraline's dad pulled on his hat "Wybie's grandmother just called us; he wasn't in his bed this morning. She's completely hysterical"

"What?!" Coraline gasped. Her heart stopped beating.

"We're going out to go help look for him" Coraline's mother said "Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"No" Coraline said, but she was lying. She knew exactly where Wybie was. Her parents left and Coraline walked to her room. Cat was sitting on her windowsill clawing at the screen. Coraline let him in. cat's back was arched, his fur standing on end. He seemed to have come to the same conclusion she had.

The Beldam was back.

And she had Wybie.

Coraline sat at the edge of her bed. And put her head in her hands. She'd never wanted to go back. She'd put it all behind her. She was living like any other girl now. She went to school and watched TV and had friends…

…And hung out with Wybie.

Coraline looked up and saw the picture of penny and roger- her friends from home- on her nightstand. Wedged into the corner of the frame was a film strip Coraline and Wybie had taken in the photo booth at the movies. They were laughing and smiling and making faces. He was the best friend she'd ever had…

She had to go back.

For Wybie.


	5. Chapter 5

It seemed like Wybie crawled through the tunnel forever. Coraline had sped through it so that he couldn't see her, and it seemed like every time he reached the end, it stretched out and started all over again. After a long time, he started to see a light at the end of it. Wybie crawled through it and came out in Coraline's sitting room. Or, no, this wasn't Coraline's sitting room. It seemed different, but he couldn't put his finger on why…

"Coraline?" he called, he wondered where she'd gone.

"Wybie?" Wybie heard a voice that sounded like Coraline's mom, but higher pitched, softer. He saw a woman who looked almost exactly like Coraline's mom, but with big, black buttons for eyes.

This was her.

The Other Mother.

"What have you done with Coraline?" Wybie said. His voice sounded defiant, but he was terrified.

"Coraline?" the Other Mother raised her eyebrows "well, I'm sure she's out playing somewhere. But you'd better get home. You're other mother is worried sick."

Wybie's heart stopped.

"I… I have an Other Mother?"

"Everyone has an Other Mother" the Other Mother said calmly. "Even little boys who don't have mothers. Now go on."

Normally, Wybie would never have listened to her, but the thought of him having an Other Mother, any kind of mother, had jarred his thinking. He hadn't seen his mother in 7 years. Maybe he could just go get a glimpse of his Other Mother…

"I hear your Other Father has a surprise for you" the Other Mother smiled as Wybie got up and headed out the door.

A father? Wybie had an Other Father? This was just too much. He walked out of the house and on the way to where his own was in the real world. He walked slowly, as if in a dream, and took in the hills around him. They were much bigger and more interesting. And he thought he saw some wildlife scuttling through the trees that he'd only seen in books. He was itching to explore every corner of this place, but he had other things to do.

He came to the hill where the small house he and gram shared was in his world. Here, he saw a large house covered in murals that seemed to be moving. He went in and opened the door.

"Wybie? Is that you?" a feminine voice called.

Wybie stopped in his tracks. He hadn't heard that voice in a long time, but he knew it like he knew himself.

"Mommy?" he called, he couldn't move, he felt his eyes welling up with tears.

Then he saw her.

She was exactly as Wybie remembered-tall, thin, and beautiful, with mahogany skin and long black hair. She wore a black t-shirt, ripped blue jeans, and black combat boots- the exact clothes he'd last seen her in. If it hadn't been for the buttons in her eyes, Wybie would've sworn she was his mother.

"Oh, there you are," his Other Mother said calmly "are you hungry? Lunch is ready"

Wybie stared at her. He was on the hungry side, and now that he was here, he figured he might as well.

"Sure" Wybie smiled "That sounds great"

She led him into the kitchen, which was like Wybie's actual kitchen, but with newer appliances and black and white tile on the floor. He sat at the kitchen table as his Other Mother set down a plate of Wybie's favorite- peanut butter, jelly, and bacon sandwiches. Wybie was famished, and gobbled down 5 of them in the blink of an eye. They tasted perfect- even better than when Gramma made them for him.

The whole time he ate, Wybie couldn't stop looking at her. She wasn't his real mother, he knew that, but she was so much like he remembered her. It was unnerving. She sat across the table and smiled at him when he was done.

"Did you enjoy your lunch?"

"Yeah" Wybie said "It was great."

"I'm glad" she smiled even wider. "Now then, your father's in the garage waiting for you. I think he has a surprise for you"

"Okay" Wybie got up from the table and walked out of the house, looking at his other mother the whole time. He walked to where the garage in his real house was. He was stunned when he saw it. Wybie's garage at home was a small, one car garage that had just enough space for the Cadillac and Frankenstina. This garage was as big as the house. As he went in, he was amazed even further- the garage was home to at least 10 motorcycles, 5 antique cars, and the most organized workspace he'd ever seen. Wybie saw a figure huddled over in a corner welding something. He turned, noticed Wybie and pulled up his welding mask to reveal black button eyes, pale skin, and a mop of long, brown hair. He looked at Wybie and smiled.

"Wybster!" he smiled "how are ya, son?"

_Son_

This man had called Wybie _son!_

"I... I'm good" was all Wybie could muster. Other than the buttons, his other father was just as he'd always imagined him…

"C'mere" his other father said "I've got something for ya"

The logical part of Wybie's brain was screaming at him to run, to figure out a way out of here as soon as possible, but he'd always wanted for someone to call him son- a father to teach him about bikes and tying ties and girls like his uncle herb did with his cousins. He knew this wasn't his real father, but he couldn't help it. He walked over to the large, lumpy object his Other Father indicated and pulled off the tarp covering it.

Wybie was stunned into silence.

It was a motorcycle, not a motorbike but a _motorcycle_! To be specific, it was a 1960 Aermacchi Chimera 250, the motorcycle he'd dreamed of having since he was 6. Wybie stared at it with wonder. He ran his hands over its bright red, retro-futuristic paint job. It revved to life at his touch.

"Her name's Viktoria" Wybie's Other Father said "And she won't run for anyone else but you. Wanna take her out for a spin?"

Wybie stared at the bike. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He knew he had to get out of here, but maybe he could just take it for a little spin first? He'd probably never see one again, so why not enjoy the moment? He popped the kickstand hopped on the bike and raced out of the garage, his Other Father waving after him.

It was amazing. The bike had more power than it would in reality, and he zoomed along, trees and rocks flying past him. The longer he rode, the harder it was for him to remember why he needed to leave. He rode aimlessly, for what seemed like forever, until he heard a scream. It sounded like…

He stopped.

He heard it again.

Coraline!

Wybie turned the bike on a dime and raced towards the cry. He didn't have to go far before he saw a familiar pair of yellow boots sticking out of a tree. He couldn't see much else, but Coraline seemed to be really stuck.

"Coraline?" he yelled "how'd you get up there?"

"Wybie?" she called. Her voice sounded frightened and high pitched. "I'm stuck! Can you help me down?"

Wybie looked harder and saw that the only thing holding her up washer own arms clinging to the tree. He thought for a minute, and then moved so that he was standing under her.

"Listen," Wybie yelled "let go of the branches and I'll catch you."

"Are you sure?" she called. That was strange. Usually, she would've said "NO WAY" or "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"Just trust me!" Wybie yelled.

"Okay!" Coraline shouted. That was odd. Usually, Wybie would have had to spend a good 20 minutes convincing her to let go, but she just said 'okay'. Wybie wasn't about to bring this up to her, though, so he held out his arms.

"Ready?" he called

"I guess so" Coraline called

"Let go!" Wybie yelled.

She let go, falling from the tree and landing softly in Wybie's arms. It was only as he set her down that he noticed that she didn't quite look like Coraline. Her hair was a lighter blue, and curved up at the ends. Her face was rounded, softer. She wore the same clothes as Coraline, but she had a butterfly hairclip instead of a dragonfly.

And she had shiny, black buttons for eyes.

"Oh, Wybie!" the Other Coraline threw her arms around his neck "You saved me! Thank you so much!"

"Y… you're not Coraline…" Wybie managed to choke out. Then why was he blushing? He wondered to himself….

"Hmm?" the other Coraline released Wybie and looked at him quizzically "Oh, no silly. I'm the _Other_ Coraline. It's nice to finally meet you, Wybie!" she smiled warmly at him "I've been waiting for you for a very long time."

"Waiting? For me?" Wybie asked. She nodded vigorously. Something about her made him feel flustered. He scratched his head and decided to change the subject.

"What were you doing up there?" he asked

"Hmm? Oh, I was trying to catch a spider I saw up there, but when it saw me, it went higher up than I could go," the Other Coraline dusted herself off and fixed her hair "and then you saved me like that! That was so brave! That's why I love you, Wybie."

Wybie's heart stopped

"What'd you say?"

"Hmm?"

"What did you just say?" Wybie held her arms and looked into her button eyes.

"Oh, that I love you" the Other Coraline said "I always have"

She took his hand, and Wybie's heart started pounding again. She led him off, and showed him everything. This was the most incredible place he'd ever seen in his life. There were 12 foot tall insects, flowers that had little chocolate cakes for centers, trees that gave off rainbow colored light, and animals he'd never seen in any book. It seemed like they never ran out of things to see, and the Other Coraline was there through it all with him. She smiled, she giggled, she got frightened and held onto Wybie's arm, she wrapped her arms around his waist as they zoomed up a hill on Viktoria. She did all the things Wybie imagined Coraline doing, but knew she'd never do. If he looked long enough, he forgot the buttons and started to believe she actually was Coraline. It was the happiest Wybie had been in a long time.

They were running, holding hands, running so fast the entire world seemed a blur. They stopped at a clearing by a pond. She was looking out at the water. Wybie stared at the back of her head and smiled.

"I love you, Coraline." He said. There. He'd said it. He braced himself for her laughter, or disgust.

"And you know I love you" she turned to face him. Wybie was momentarily stunned by the sight of her button eyes.

This wasn't his Coraline.

She was some made up thing that was all part of the trap, and it was working. How long had he been there? He picked up a stone and skipped it-it skipped much farther than it would've at home. An hour? A few hours? All day? He'd lost complete track of time, even forgotten where he was once or twice.

He had to get out of here.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to school." The Other Coraline said "You'll like it there; first period is recess, then science, then lunch, then…"

"Listen, Coraline," Wybie looked out at the water as interesting, angler-fish type things snapped at the surface of the water "I don't think I'll be here tomorrow."

"What?" the Other Coraline seemed startled.

"I have to get home."

"Well, I can walk with you to your house…"

"No, not home here, my _real _home- with my Gramma and my real house and Frankenstina and…" he almost said, _the real Coraline_, but he decided against it.

"You mean you want to leave?" she seemed hurt.

"Yeah"

"You can't do that!" the Other Coraline began to sob, but no tears came from her eyes. "You can't just leave me like that again! I love you! I want you to stay here with me!"

Wybie felt terrible. He wondered if there was a way he could take her back with him. She didn't seem evil. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. The Other Coraline sniffed a little and smiled.

"There's a cave on the next hill up" she said uncertainly "Do you want to see?"

"Sure" Wybie said. He was pretty sure he still had some time, he'd think up a way to get out later…

The Other Coraline took his hand in hers, and they walked up the hill to a new adventure.

Author's note

After a long delay, chapter 5 is done!

This was the hardest chapter for me, because I'd had very basic ideas of what Wybie's other world would be like, but I had to really flesh everything out. Wybie's other parents were originally going to be broader, but I feel like for Wybie, just the fact that they exist is enough, they don't have to be ridiculously improved upon like coralline's dad. You'll see why coralline's other mother is in this soon, I promise.

And our titular (but clearly not main) character makes her first appearance! What are your opinions of the Other Coraline?

p.s, to those who are curious, the Chimera 250 is an actual motorcycle. Here's a pic of it for anyone interested

.com/.../aermacchi_chimera_


	6. Chapter 6

Coraline's parents weren't home yet, so she microwaved herself a pizza before getting ready to leave. She felt queasy, but she didn't want to have to eat the Other Mother's food. She sat, looking at the fridge door. How was she going to get Wybie back? She hadn't the slightest inkling of a plan, but the longer she stayed here trying to think of one, the longer Wybie was there. She didn't have time. She had to find him.

Coraline walked up the stairs to her room and pulled oh her explorer's cap and her green puffer vest. No more waiting. She was going in. she caught sight of the pictures of her and Wybie on her nightstand. She grabbed them and put them in her pocket to remind her no matter what happened that she was going there for Wybie.

Because he would've done the same for her.

She walked into the sitting room and crouched by the door. She was trembling. She'd prayed she'd never have to go back, but now she did. She reached out and grabbed the doorknob. She took a deep breath and pulled the door open. The portal glowed inside the tube. Coraline put on a brave face and started crawling.

"I don't understand." Coraline muttered "Why would he go there? He knows what happened to me there…"

"She offers people what they long for the most." Cat's smooth voice came from somewhere behind her "For you, it was attention, but for Wybie, I think it was something else…"

"But he saw her hand…" Coraline protested." doesn't he get that the other mother's evil?"

"You humans are like that." The cat said nonchalantly as the end of the tunnel became clear "You can never seem to learn from other's mistakes"

Coraline stepped out of the other side of the door and into her other sitting room. It looked as it had when she first arrived there- the bug furniture wasn't around just yet. Coraline stood up, brushed off her jeans and looked around.

Her Other Mother was sitting on the sofa in front of her. She looked like she first had- like Coraline's round, short mother. Coraline scowled and stood tall, holding her head high, but inside she was terrified. She'd barely escaped her last time. How was she going to make it out again? Coraline told herself not to think about that, and looked her Other Mother in the buttons defiantly.

"Why, hello Coraline" the other mother smiled "How nice of you to visit. How are you?"

"Where's Wybie?" Coraline said bravely.

"Your little friend?" the Other Mother said slyly "Oh, I'm sure he's out playing with the other you somewhere. I must say, I approve of him. He's a very sweet little boy. It was like giving candy to a baby getting him here…"

"Other me?" Coraline was caught a bit off guard with that. Why was there another her?

"Oh yes," the Other Mother smiled "She's a sweet little thing. Very much the way I would have made you, I think. Now I'm afraid you won't be so lucky…"

"If you've made another me," Coraline asked "what do you want with me?"

"Oh, my dear little Coraline," the Other Mother looked at her as if she had just asked something incredibly amusing "You still don't understand? I care nothing about Wybie, I'm _your_ mother. I want _you_."

"Why me?"

"Because" the Other Mother's voice became serious "I never lose. You may have won that round of our little game, but make no mistake. I will have you."

"Fat chance" Coraline sounded much more confident than she felt

"Don't be rude." The Other Mother's voice was sweet again "I've got a proposition for you, Coraline. I'm willing to let Wybie go, if you agree to stay here. If you refuse, neither of you will ever leave. How about it? Do we have a deal?" she held out her right hand, which, Coraline noted, looked as if it had been attached recently.

"No deal" Coraline said "I beat you once, I can do it again"

"We'll see about that." The Other Mother folded her arms "I'll tell you what, I'll give you an hour to think it over, and go see how much Wybie is enjoying himself. If you haven't decided after that, well, you'll see…"

Coraline didn't want to let the other mother out of her sight, but she needed to find Wybie. She walked out the door and down the steps. Cat was sitting on the front porch, licking his paws and waiting for her.

"We need to find Wybie" she said

"That seems obvious" cat said dryly

Coraline looked out at the land in front of her. The forest looked more like jungle, and the hills more like mountains.

"How are we ever gonna find him in all this?" Coraline sighed

"The logical suggestion," Cat hopped off the porch "is to walk"

Coraline would have liked a faster mode of transportation, but Cat was moving with a purpose, as though he already knew where Wybie was. She shrugged her shoulders and followed. The longer they walked, the more Coraline understood why Wybie was still here- it was a curious kid's paradise. Everything was slithering or crawling or flying. She could just imagine Wybie hanging from trees with his mask on observing everything, and smiled at the thought. They walked for a while, then came to a clearing. The same clearing Coraline had dreamt about. As Coraline saw Wybie's messy head of hair, she breathed a sigh of relief. He was alright!

It was what she saw after that that made her mad.

He was sitting on a picnic blanket with what looked like a copy of her. They were eating sandwiches and talking and laughing as if nothing was wrong. For some reason, the sight of the two of them just made her blood boil. Why _was he just sitting there like that? And with her?_ Coraline stormed up to them and punched Wybie in the arm. Hard.

"_Ow!_" he shrieked, then turned and looked at her "Jonesie?"

"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Coraline shouted "Do you have any idea what kind of danger you're in?! And you're just gonna sit back and eat lunch?"

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Jonesie" Wybie rubbed his arm.

"Is that all you have to say?!" she yelled "I came all this way just to save you and I find you here hanging out with a cheap knockoff of me, and all you can say is 'nice to see you?"

"Whoa, hold up," Wybie stood up to face her defensively "What makes you so sure I need saving?"

"Other than the fact that I've been here before and that the Other Mother's _hand _almost killed you?"

"Hey, I'm the one who stopped that thing"

"Well, you did a crappy job, because _somehow_, she has a hand again!"

"Well, how do you know I want to be saved?"

Coraline was stunned. Had Wybie really just said that? Did he hate it at home that much that he was willing to stay here, knowing what would happen? Coraline suddenly felt terrible. Wybie looked shocked he'd said it too. He slouched a bit more and looked at the ground, fiddling with his hands.

"S…sorry" Wybie said "You're right. I just got caught up in it all. I was trying to figure a way out, I just…"

"I'm sorry too" Coraline said "I remember what it's like. It gets hard to say no."

"It's just… Jonesie, I have parents here! A mom and dad! Like any other kid"

"You have parents at home too," Coraline said "and I'm gonna get you out of here to find them someday. Listen, the trap's set for me, not you. The other mother was just using you as bait. You can get outta here…"

"Well, what about you?"

"I've beaten her before, I can do it again. I'll think of something…"

"No way!" Wybie looked almost offended "I'm not leaving here without you like that! Either we both get out or neither of us gets out. That's the way it's gonna go." He held out his hand "Deal?"

Coraline smiled. Wybie was really the best friend she could ever ask for. She had other friends who were cooler, or more athletic, or more popular, but never had anyone been as loyal as Wybie. She shook his hand

"Deal"

"Then we're in this together." Wybie smirked "Don't you run off without me now"

"Um, excuse me…"

Coraline turned her head and came face to face with her own mirror image. Coraline could feel a shiver run down her spine. Other than the eyes and a few subtle differences, the Other Coraline looked just like her.

"What do you want?" Coraline was on the defensive. For all she knew, this Other Coraline was the other mother's spy. The Other Coraline looked intimidated, nervous, and frightened. Her shiny black eyes made her look like a frightened deer as she cringed away from Coraline's glare.

"Jonesie," Wybie put a hand on her shoulder "stop that. Listen to what she has to say. She's not like the other mother. She's… she's good."

"Look, just because you're a sucker for a pair of big goo goo eyes does _not_ make her good" Coraline said, not even trying to lower her voice in front of the Other Coraline. The Other Bobinski had seemed good. The Other Forcible and Spink had seemed good. Her Other Father had even _been_ good, and he had still attacked her under the Other Mother's power. They couldn't trust anyone here.

"I'm afraid you're wrong this time, Coraline." Cat's voice fell from the trees like rain as he emerged from one, a dead rat hanging from his tail " You can trust this one. She has a good spirit"

Coraline scowled at cat and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine. Whatever" she still wasn't sure about the Other Coraline. She made a mental note to watch her closely.

The Other Coraline looked at Wybie with her doe-button eyes and took his hands. Wybie seemed to tense up at her touch. Coraline felt herself gnashing her teeth.

"Wybie, do you really want to leave me?" she said in a piteous voice.

Wybie looked at her for a second, gulped, looked at cat, looked around him, then looked at Coraline. She felt somehow relieved when he took his hands from hers.

"Yeah, Coraline" he said " I do. Jonesie and I have to get back home as soon as possible."

"Oh." The Other Coraline looked thoughtful for a moment, then plastered on a wide smile.

"Well, enough of that." She said, her voice cheerful and sickeningly sweet "let's play tag!"

" ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!" Coraline yelled at the top of her lungs. This was too much. Why did the other her have to be so useless?

"Of course, not, you silly goose" the Other Coraline giggled "Now come on. I bet neither of you can catch me!"

"Um, Coraline?" Wybie looked confused "Did you hear what I said?"

"I did." The Other Coraline giggled again "Now come on, you two! _Run after me!"_

She made a 'come on' motion with her hand and started running. Coraline was stunned. Was this version of her just retarded? This was no time for games!

"Jonesie," Wybie tugged her sleeve and started running " come on! She wants us to follow her!"

Coraline wanted to do no such thing. She wanted to stay right where she was and come up with a plan, but Wybie was already running after her. Coraline sighed. She had to stay with him- if they separated, they were toast. Grudgingly, she started running.

The Other Coraline ran them in dozens of directions on a ridiculous journey. She ran them up hills and over brooks, up trees and under logs. Coraline was beginning to suspect that this other her was just trying to stall them and keep them from coming up with anything when the forest began to fade away. The trees started looking like the idea of trees, and then they were in a plane of never-ending whiteness.

"Where are we?" Wybie looked nervous

"The empty space…" The Other Coraline said.

"…the part she hasn't made yet" Coraline finished.

"That's right." The Other Coraline said "We're safe out here. She can't see us or hear us, but we can't stay too long, or she'll wonder where we are…"

"Okay," Wybie still seemed confused "is it too much to ask why we're here?"

"You said you wanted to leave," the Other Coraline's voice sounded different here. It was lower, less girlish, more like Coraline's actual voice "so we're gonna think up a way to get you out of here."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Coraline asked

"The Beldam doesn't control us others," the Other Coraline said "except in extreme cases. She just makes us to do and be certain things. She created me to care about Wybie, and I do. She just doesn't realize that when you care about someone, you don't want to keep them in a situation where they're in danger. Besides," the Other Coraline put on the high, girly voice again "I'm just everything she could ever want me to be, so she leaves me alone."

Coraline looked at her mirror image with interest. She wasn't as dumb as Coraline had thought. In fact, she seemed rather smart out here.

"Well," Wybie looked around him at the Coralines on either side of him "what's the plan? How are we gonna get out of here?"

"That's the other reason I brought you out here," the Other Coraline said "Wybie, there's someone I want you to meet."

Coraline saw a dark outline in the distance; the Other Coraline's face lit up, and broke into the first genuine smile Coraline had seen. She ran past Coraline and Wybie and over to the shape.

"How are you feeling?" the Other Coraline said "I'm sorry I had to go away for so long, but I have a surprise for you…"

Coraline and Wybie walked up to the figure. Coraline heard Wybie gasp.

"Wybie," the Other Coraline said "meet Other Wybie"

He looked different from when Coraline had last seen him- his clothes were ripped and his face was covered in ghastly scars being held together by stitches. The Other Coraline knelt down and hugged him delicately. Wybie was staring at Other Wybie with a look that was somewhere in between horror and awe. His mouth was hanging open, and his hands were shaking a bit.

"Surreal, isn't it?" Coraline crossed her arms and smirked.

"A...at least" Wybie's eyes were still glued to Other Wybie. Other Wybie looked at Other Coraline, and she nodded.

"He says it's nice to finally meet you, Wybie" the Other Coraline said.

"He didn't say anything" Wybie said

"I know, but I can hear what he thinks. He thinks very loudly since he can't talk, and we're made of the same stuff, so I-"

"Wait," Wybie turned to Coraline "He can't talk? You never told me he couldn't talk."

"Well, I mean," Coraline had never told Wybie much about Other Wybie. She'd thought it'd just freak him out "When I first met you, I just wanted you to shut up for 2 seconds. So the Other Mother thought I'd like him more if he talked less…."

"He says it's nice to see you too, Coraline," Other Coraline said "alive" Other Wybie smiled and nodded.

"It's nice to see you too, Wybie" Coraline said "but, how are you here? I thought the other mother destroyed you"

"Well," Other Coraline said "she did. I found him out here one day while I was exploring. Of course, back then, he was really just scraps of fabric and sawdust. I fixed him, I sewed him back up." She smiled and held Other Wybie's hand. He smiled back at her. "He's been getting stronger and stronger every day." She turned to Wybie "Wybie, when you first got here, he started getting well so fast, I… I just thought maybe if I kept you here for a few hours he'd get well again. I know that was very selfish of me, Wybie, and I'm sorry, but he's my best friend. All I want is for him to be well again…"

"It's okay" Wybie said "I probably would've done the same thing"

The Other Coraline smiled "I'm glad. Now both of you, sit down"

Coraline and Wybie sat down in what had to be the most confusing circle Coraline had ever seen- Wybie, Coraline, Other Wybie, and Other Coraline all sat staring at each other. Other Wybie made a motion to Other Coraline and she nodded resolutely.

"Wybie, or, _Other Wybie_, I mean" the Other Coraline began "he's seen what the Beldam really is. He knows things about her that even she doesn't know. He says he thinks he has a way to stop her. A way to kill her for good."

Coraline's heart soared. A way to stop her? A way to live in the pink palace without worrying every day? A way to, for the first time in months, truly feel safe?

"How?" Coraline asked "How do we stop her?"

"Well, "the Other Coraline began "the Beldam isn't a witch, or a bad dream, or a monster. The Beldam is a demon. What kills a demon?"

"Sunlight?" Wybie piped up "Silver bullets?"

The Other Coraline shook her head.

"Love"

**Author's note**

**Ha! I bet you weren't expecting that! If you were, just act like you weren't to protect my fragile ego.**

**Please review. Reviews are my power source, I feed off of them.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Love"

Wybie nearly jumped out of his skin. Was Other Coraline going to spill his feelings to the real one? He'd planned to tell her someday, but not like this! Maybe when he was older, maybe in high school, but not now!

"What do you mean?" Coraline seemed confused "How does that help us?"

"Well," the Other Coraline said "You two are friends, and friendship is a kind of love too. The Beldam wants to love something, but for her, love is the same as hunger. She has no concept of what it means to really care about someone. Other Wybie thinks that if she's confronted with genuine feelings, it'll rip the fabric of this world, and you may be able to destroy her."

"How are feelings supposed to destroy that?" Coraline, ever the fighter still didn't seem to understand it.

"Coraline," the Other Coraline said "you care enough about Wybie to have come back here, when you wanted nothing more than to never be here again- I know, I'm you. That's an incredibly powerful thing. Your feelings for Wybie were powerful enough to override your greatest fear. This is a world created by the Beldam, so feelings that powerful and selfless don't exist here. I don't know exactly what will happen, but this world won't be able to take it. Once you stop the Beldam, everything here will cease to be, and that little door will just lead to whatever was really on the other side."

"Wait," Wybie said "everything will cease to be? What about you two? Will you die?"

The Other Coraline gave a knowing smile

"We can't die." She said calmly "We're not alive to begin with. We'll just… stop existing, but don't worry, it won't hurt us, and it's for the best. Don't worry about us."

"So we just have to head out there together, and hope stuff falls apart?" Coraline asked skeptically. "That doesn't sound like a real plan to me…"

"Well, it's not something that's ever happened before, so we can only guess what might happen… Other Wybie thinks that if you stay connected, you won't be able to be harmed, but we can't be certain. Either way, the Beldam is much weaker than she was the last time you faced her, Coraline. She's used the last of her power making me and Wybie's other parents and the rest of this world. I think you can really stop her."

The Other Coraline stood up. She took Coraline's left hand and Wybie's right hand and placed them together. Wybie felt his heart going into overdrive and prayed he wasn't blushing. If he was, Coraline wouldn't notice, though, she was staring resolutely into the Other Coraline's button eyes.

"As long as you stay connected," the Other Coraline said "you should be safe. No matter what happens, don't let go. And don't trust anyone but each other once you leave here. Not even me. Once she realizes you're trying to stop her, she'll use any weapon at her disposal. I'm sorry I can't be of more help than this, but good luck."

Coraline nodded resolutely, then disconnected her hand from Wybie's and threw her arms around the Other Coraline.

"Thank you," Coraline whispered before stepping back and looking at her doppelganger.

"Don't thank me," the Other Coraline said "thank Other Wybie, he's the one who taught me all of this."

She turned to look at Other Wybie and gasped. Shakily, cautiously, he'd pushed himself up from the ground and walked the few steps to Wybie, holding out his hand. Wybie stared at him for a moment, and realized that, other than the scars and the button eyes, they were the same. All either of them wanted was to protect the Coralines they loved. Wybie shook Other Wybie's hand.

"You're strong enough to walk?" Other Coraline seemed overcome with joy. She ran to him and embraced him, burying her head in his chest. Other Wybie wrapped his arms around her lovingly. Wybie smiled. It was nice to know that at least one Wybie would get the girl, even if it wasn't him. He turned to Coraline.

"Well," he smirked "you ready to go kick some Beldam butt?"

She smiled back. Wybie's heart started doing flip flops.

"You know it." She held out her hand to him. Wybie took it and they began walking back into the Beldam's world.

"Oh, wait!" the Other Coraline called "Wybie, come back, there's one last thing I need to tell you!"

Wybie turned, startled, and walked back to the Other Coraline, who had disconnected herself from Other Wybie and was motioning him over. She walked extra close to him and whispered in his ear.

"She doesn't know it yet," Other Coraline said "but she loves you just as much as you love her. Be patient, be gentile, and always stay by her side. One day, she'll look at you and realize that you're the only one for her. It might be a long time from now, but it will happen. I promise".

She gave him a quick hug and pushed him over to Coraline. Wybie couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Did she really mean that? Wybie looked at Coraline as she crossed her arms and smirked. Stay by her side? That was no problem for him, that was the only place he wanted to be.

"What'd she say?" Coraline looked at him with amused curiosity.

"Hm?" Wybie said, still unable to wipe the smile off of his face. "Oh, Other Wybie said thanks for keeping an eye on you and everything." He said hastily, hoping she wouldn't realize he was lying. For once, she seemed to buy it. She turned and looked at their other selves and smiled warmly. They stood, holding hands. They waved to Coraline as she turned. Coraline waved back, then turned to Wybie and held out her hand.

"Well," she gave a weary sigh "let's do this. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Wybie took her hand and they started walking. Wybie looked over at Coraline. She was looking straight forward, her lips shut tight, her eyebrows furrowed in determination. She was holding onto Wybie's hand with a vice-like grip. It was then that it hit Wybie- she was scared. Coraline Jones was scared! Wybie smiled warmly and gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

"Hey," he said "it'll be okay, don't worry."

"Yeah?" Coraline gave a halfhearted attempt at a smile.

"Yeah" Wybie's voice sounded sure, even though he wasn't.

They came to the edge of the forest. It had been a clear, sunny spring day when they'd left it, but now, it was dark and stormy-the beldam must've caught on. Light streamed from their intertwined fingers as they stepped into the darkness.

"Well, look at that," Wybie joked, hoping to keep Coraline calm "we're fluorescent, Jonesie."

Coraline didn't laugh. She was too busy looking astonished.

"Wybie," she said "look!"

The trees around them were falling apart, dissolving. Within moments, the small patch of forest around them was nothing but sawdust and darkness.

"Well, I'll be" Wybie chuckled "the other me was right."

"Looks like it." Coraline said "how do we get back to the door?"

"I dunno." Wybie shrugged "I guess we start walking"

So they walked, with the world falling apart around them and the light between their hands guiding them. A snake dove at Coraline, but it turned to dust as soon as it touched her. Wybie could feel her grip on his hand loosening up. She was starting to feel at ease. Wybie smiled. He hated seeing her upset.

They walked up to a hill and came to Wybie's house. His Other mother was standing on the porch.

His mother…

"Wybie," she sounded sad "don't go. We just found each other again. Don't you love me anymore?"

"Mommy…" Wybie didn't want to leave her. He hadn't seen her in years, how could he lose her again?

"Wybie," Coraline said "listen, that thing's not your mom. Don't trust her!"

"We can be a family again." His mother said "We can go to drive-in movies and have birthday parties and all the others things families do. I'll tell you about girls and your father will teach you to play guitar and we'll all just live here and be happy forever. Don't you want that?"

"Of course I do, mom," Wybie said "it's not like that, I just can't stay here…"

"It's that girl, isn't it?" his mother looked hurt "She's trying to steal you from me? Wybie, friends come and go, but family is forever."

"Forever?" Wybie squeaked. There was nothing he wanted more in the world. He wanted to make up for lost time. Sure, she'd been gone for most of his life, but that didn't matter to him. He was willing to forgive her, to forget it all, to act as if the last 7 years of his life he'd been in a coma, or she had or something, anything, just to be able to have a family like that…

"Wybie, don't listen to her!" Coraline's voice seemed so far away now, like she was at the bottom of the ocean…

"Forever and ever." Wybie's mother smiled. "Now, come give your mother a hug, son"

Wybie took a step towards her, then another. She held out her arms lovingly. He felt Coraline's hand slip out of his, the light went out.

Then he heard her scream.

Author's Note:

Hey there everyone! Sorry this took forever, I had some school stuff going on, so this kind of went on the back burner for a bit. Thanks so much for all of your reviews! It's so nice to know you guys are enjoying it! ^_^


	8. Chapter 8

No.

This could _not_ be happening.

Wybie wasn't listening to her. He stared at his Other Mother like a zombie.

"Wybie, don't listen to her!" Coraline yelled. She held onto his hand tighter, but it was like he hadn't heard her at all. He took a step towards her, then another. Coraline held onto his hand as tight as she could, but his hand simply slipped from his glove and the light between their hands went out. Almost immediately, Coraline felt a hand around her waist. She screamed as she flew backwards through the darkness.

Coraline felt herself being dragged for a few moments, but it seemed like forever. She tried to kick and hit whatever had her, but it held onto her with a strong, spindly hand. As it stopped and slammed her against a tree, Coraline got a good look at the thing's face in the moonlight. It was a gaunt, ghostly looking thing, with wild brown hair and dull button eyes.

"I'm afraid we can't let a horrid little girl like you play with our son anymore" the thing said in a scratchy voice "you're too bad of an influence on him."

Son? Then this must've been what was left of Wybie's Other Father. He held Coraline to the tree as black vines snaked down with a life of their own and wrapped around her, pinning her against the tree.

"Now you just wait right here while I go fetch your mother" Wybie's Other Father gave a slight laugh and ran off.

So this was it. The Beldam was going to come and kill her or eat her or do…whatever. This was how it all ended for Coraline Jones. She'd never go to school again, or see her parents again, or even see the sun again.

And yet, all she could think about was Wybie.

It wasn't fair. He was probably going to be stuck here forever too, but not for the same reasons. The Beldam had tempted Coraline before because she'd been selfish. She'd given Coraline attention and toys and superficial crap. The Beldam was tempting Wybie with something no one could ever pass up-a family. The more Coraline thought about it, she could never remember Wybie ever talking about his parents. He talked about his aunt and uncle and his cousins and his Gramma, but it was always just him and his Gramma. His parents weren't around at all. It just wasn't _fair_. Coraline held tighter to Wybie's empty glove in her hand as she felt her eyes welling up with tears. She should've just taken the beldam's deal. Coraline deserved to be here, but Wybie? Wybie deserved to get out of here, to have a life, to find out who his parents really were…

"Crying won't solve anything" cat said as he approached the edge of the tree, from seemingly nowhere, not that that was new…

"Cat," Coraline sniffed, trying to control her quivering lip "listen, you've gotta find Wybie and get him outta here. It's too late for me, but-"

"That's nonsense" cat said matter-of-factly "you can't just give up like this, then she'd win"

"I don't care about winning anymore, okay?" Coraline yelled "I care about getting Wybie out of here…"

Cat smiled. A faint glow began coming from her pocket…

"The pictures!" Coraline exclaimed "but, how?"

"Just because you aren't physically with someone doesn't mean you stop caring about them" cat said.

Coraline heard a roaring sound. It seemed that thinking about Wybie hadn't been enough, something was coming for her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for whatever it was…

"Coraline!" she heard a voice yell.

Wait… that wasn't the Beldam's voice.

"Wybie!"

Coraline opened her eyes to see Wybie racing towards her on a red motorcycle, a glow coming from his chest. He saw her, dove off the bike and ran up to the tree she was stuck to. The minute his fingertips touched hers, the tree dissolved and she was standing on the ground. Wybie threw his arms around her.

"You're okay!" his voice sounded shaky, like he'd been crying too "I'm so sorry… so sorry"

Coraline hugged Wybie back "It's okay. I understand" she didn't care right now what he'd done, she only cared that he was here, with her. He'd found her.

"Wait…" Coraline stopped hugging Wybie and looked at him "how'd you find me?"

Wybie gave a lopsided grin and reached into the pocket of his overalls. He pulled out the drawing of Slugzilla she drew him on Friday.

"It lit my way" he said "why were you glowing?"

Coraline laughed a bit and pulled out the film strip. Wybie took one look at himself making a zombie face and couldn't help but laugh too. They were in peril, in a life or death situation, but here they were, laughing like nothing was wrong. But that was just it, no matter what happened, Wybie always made her feel like nothing was wrong.

All of a sudden, Coraline heard a bloodcurdling noise racing toward them. She turned just in time to see what was left of Wybie's Other Mother racing towards them.

"Get away from her!" she screamed. Wybie stared at her with a mixture of confusion and terror. He looked at her for a moment, then turned to Coraline.

"Listen," Wybie said "I have an idea. Let go of my hand."

"What?!?" Coraline screeched "are you kidding me? We can't do that!" she looked at Wybie's Other Mother racing towards them. After what happened last time, she wasn't going to let go of him again.

"Listen," Wybie looked determined now, calm even "I know it sounds crazy, but you're just gonna have to trust me! Do it!"

Coraline was stunned. He never acted like this at home. Trust him? Coraline thought. She trusted him. She trusted him more than anyone else she'd ever met. She looked at him, then took a deep breath and let go.

Wybie's Other Mother was feet away, but Wybie did nothing.

She was inches away, Wybie stood his ground.

She came nose to nose with Wybie, and he reached out like lighting and grabbed Coraline's hand.

His Other Mother began to dissolve into dust.

"Wybie!' she screamed "Look what you've done! Look what you've done to your mother!"

Wybie stared at her for a long moment as she began to dissolve into almost nothing.

"You're not my mother." Wybie said coldly "you never were"

His other mother gave a final scream before turning into a puff of dust. Wybie stared at what was left of her for a moment.

"It's for the best" he said, but his voice sounded shaky "she was never my real mother to begin with, she was never really anything, just a part of this big, stupid trap." He gave Coraline a weak, halfhearted smile.

Coraline smiled back and squeezed his hand.

"Come on. We're getting out of here"

She grasped his hand extra hard and started running as fast as she could. Wybie did his best to keep up as the world around them crumbled. Coraline led him to the pink palace. They stopped at the steps and stared up at the towering, pink deathtrap.

"This is it" Coraline stared at the front door with a look of determination.

"What's it?" Wybie said "what're you talking about?"

"This is it." Coraline said "Either the Beldam goes or I go, but I'm never coming back here again."

They stared at the house in silence for a moment, then Wybie shrugged

"Well, are you ready?"

"Are you?" Coraline turned to look at him.

"Not really" Wybie gave a weak grin "but I probably never will be. Let's just do this."

They walked up the porch steps to the front door. Coraline had to cling to Wybie's hand to keep from screaming as the front door swung open on its own.

"She's waiting for us," Coraline choked "she knows we're coming…"

"Stay with me, Jonesie." Wybie said "It doesn't matter. You can do this."

Coraline took a closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped into the house. The house was dark, and quiet. Quiet was bad. Coraline's eyes scoured every inch of the front hall, but nothing was moving, nothing was breathing- not even a rat. Coraline turned and saw Wybie staring into the mirror in the hall. Seeing his face framed in that mirror sent a shiver up her spine. Wybie turned and gave her a look that said _what now?_ Coraline was just about to think up a plan when they heard someone crying.

The sobs were soft, frail, like broken glass tinkling. At first, Coraline thought it was a new ghost child, but there was something about the voice that was familiar…

Wybie turned to Coraline, stunned.

"It's the other you!"

Coraline and Wybie followed the sobs down the hall and came to the doorway of the sitting room. The same eerie, purple light Coraline had nightmares about streamed through it. As they stepped through the door, Coraline felt her heart stop. The Beldam sat on a bug couch, chomping on cocobeatles as if nothing was wrong. The room looked as ghastly as Coraline remembered it, but with one difference. There were wasps in the room now, tethered to chairs and desks like balloons. The Other Coraline was sitting in the middle of the room, curled into a ball.

"Oh, wonderful!" the Beldam still sounded and looked a bit like Coraline's mother, but that didn't ruffle her. "You made it. I was a little worried you weren't going to come to the party"

"What do you want?" Wybie said. Coraline was surprised at how brave he sounded. She could feel his own hand trembling in hers, but he wasn't showing his fear at all. Coraline gave his hand a squeeze and glared at the Beldam.

"Oh," the Beldam smiled "it's a welcome home party for both of you. In a few moments, it'll have been an hour, both of you'll be mine, and that silly little trick of yours will stop. So sit down, relax have some snacks, if you go, I'm afraid your little friend here will be very upset."

"No!" the Other Coraline sobbed "no more! Please!" her voice sounded strange to Coraline, but she couldn't pick up on why…

The Beldam scowled at the Other Coraline.

"Silence."

She pointed a finger at the Other Coraline, and she screamed in pain.

"Now sit." The Beldam said sweetly "Unless you want to see your friend hurt some more"

Coraline wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to run, to just take Wybie and run through the door and never come back, but she knew that would never work. She couldn't go on living like this- nightmares, every night, never feeling safe in her own house, and now, if they left, it wouldn't just be her-Wybie wouldn't be safe either. And what about the Other Coraline?

The Other Coraline sobbed in the middle of the floor. She was shaking.

"It hurts…" she gasped. Coraline's heart stopped. All she could think of was the smile the Beldam had put on Other Wybie.

"I TOLD YOU," the Beldam yelled "TO BE SILENT!"

The Beldam rose and moved to the Other Coraline as if to strike her. Coraline instinctively let go of Wybie's hand and ran to the Other Coraline.

The Beldam stopped moving towards the Other Coraline and smiled.

"You just made a big mistake, Coraline." She chuckled

The Other Coraline turned to face Coraline. There was something about her face that was monstrous. Her button eyes were dull, and her skin was sallowy and pale. She looked at Coraline and let out a scream of rage. The wasps escaped their strings. She dove at Coraline, but Coraline felt something hit her. Coraline looked up and saw that Wybie had pushed her out of the way. The Other Coraline grabbed him by the neck.

"What does she have that I don't?" Coraline knew what was different about the Other Coraline's voice- it was the Beldam's voice underneath her own. "I'll love you more that she ever can! STAY! Or I'll kill you!"

Wybie screamed as she scratched at his face.

"Jonesie!" he yelled "Hurry up! Get out of here!"

"YOU STILL CHOOSE HER?!" the Other Coraline screamed. "Then so be it!"

She jumped to her feet and motioned to the wasps, who all seemed to be following her hand movements. She pointed to the ceiling, and the wasps all gathered above her head. She pointed them toward Wybie, and was about to released them, when a pair of arms wrapped around her chest and pulled her back. The wasps exploded into dust. The Other Coraline's face softened and she turned to face her restrainer.

"Wybie?" the Other Coraline gasped. The Other Wybie smiled at her and brushed her face with his hand. The Other Coraline sobbed and threw her arms around him. As the Beldam turned to look, Coraline snuck over to Wybie and helped him up.

"YOU!" the Beldam screamed. "I got rid of you! What are you doing here?!"

The Other Coraline stood up defiantly.

"I fixed him."

The Beldam looked livid. She stood at her full height and loomed over the Other Coraline.

"You little ingrate! I created you! And I'll destroy you just as easily!"

The Other Wybie got up and stood in front of the Other Coraline protectively, glaring at the Beldam.

"oh, you first?" the beldam smiled "well, I'll be happy to do that for you…"

"NO!" the Other Coraline cried " don't hurt him! You've already hurt him so much! You don't have a heart at all if you hurt him again!" she threw her arms around the Other Wybie.

"Oh, you're wrong there, sweetie. I have a heart. It's beating right now, keeping me alive so that I can destroy you both!"

The Beldam had a heart? Coraline wondered if there was some way to stop her heart? As if reading her thoughts, Wybie nudged her and motioned toward the poker in the fireplace. Coraline understood immediately and grabbed it while the Beldam was distracted with the other them. Wybie held it with his right hand, Coraline with her left. It glowed between their hands. It might not work, Coraline thought, but they had to try something.

"Hey, mommy dearest!" Wybie yelled. The Beldam turned to them.

"EAT THIS!" Wybie yelled as they plunged the poker into her chest. The Beldam screamed in pain and began to crumble. Coraline looked the beldam in the eyes one last time.

"You can't hurt me anymore" Coraline said solemnly as she was reduced to nothing more than two black buttons.

"Well, that was a bit of a dramatic letdown." Wybie said "She got killed by a poker. I guess she should have worked on her poker face!"

Coraline couldn't help but laugh at the lameness of the joke. Wybie laughed too. They held onto each other for support as they laughed hysterically. Their amusement was cut short by a rumbling under their feet.

"You have to get out of here." The Other Coraline said "This world is disappearing. If you don't go soon, the portal will disappear too."

"But what about you?" Coraline said "we can't just leave you!"

"We're a part of her," the Other Coraline said " this is how it has to be. Now go!"

The Other Wybie took Coraline's hand and Wybie's hand and pushed them through the little door. They stood in the frame of the door and watched as the other pink palace began to disintegrate around them. The Others held hands as they waved goodbye.

"We'll meet again, Coraline. I promise" the Other Coraline said "Now go"

Wybie started speeding down the tunnel. Coraline followed him, but stopped and turned just in time to see the Other Coraline and the Other Wybie holding each other as they started to disappear.

"Wybie," the Other Coraline whispered to the Other Wybie "I love you"

The Other Wybie took the Other Coraline's face in his hand, looked at her for a moment, then kissed her. They disappeared in a flash of light. Coraline felt her eyes welling up with tears. Wybie grabbed her hand and tugged.

"C'mon Jonesie!" Wybie said "or this tunnel is gonna gain on us!"

They ran, made their way out of the tunnel as fast as their legs could carry them. They went careening out the door into Coraline's real sitting room. Coraline looked at the boring, boring room and burst into tears.

"Jonesie, what's wrong?" Wybie asked "don't cry…"

"It's over!" Coraline sobbed "I'm free! I'm so happy!" Coraline threw her arms around Wybie and cried her eyes out.

"That's right" Wybie said softly "it's over Jonesie." Coraline wiped her eyes and pulled open the door. The bricks were gone. The portal was gone. In their place, there was a tiny closet, with nothing in it but dust, cobwebs, and a pair of triangular stones with holes in them- one black, one blue. Coraline stared at them curiously and picked up the blue one. She could have sworn she heard a sweet, girlish giggle. She picked up the black one and handed it to Wybie.

"I think this one's yours." Coraline said "Black isn't really my color"

Wybie smiled and held the stone in his hand. He looked at Coraline and gave her a warm smile. He was rewarded by a punch in the arm.

"OW!" Wybie yelped "What'd I do?"

"That's for going in there in the first place!" Coraline tried to sound stern, but the edges of her mouth betrayed her.

Wybie stuck his tongue out at Coraline, who returned the favor. They burst into laughter again.

This was the sight Coraline's parents received as they came home from a nightlong search.

Author's Note:

after a long, long time of delays, TA DA~ the blockbuster ending to The Other Coraline. sorry i took so long, but as you guys can see, there's a lot going on.

but do not fret! just becasue we've reached the end doesn't mean the story's over! this chapter will soon be followed by a prologue of sorts, if you guys are interested.

comments are my lifeblood, so please leave them so that this author does not starve

thanks so much to everyone who faved and commented on the last chapter of the story, i was sort of out of it the last few weeks, so i haven't gotten around to personally thanking people yet, so thanks!

i own nothing T_T


	9. epilogue 5 years later

5 years later…

As Mr. Woods droned on about Macbeth, 16-year-old Wybourne Lovatt sat with his long skinny legs stretched out in front of his desk glaring at the second hand as it waited 20 minutes before moving. He fidgeted, playing with the silver earring in his right ear and the black triangular stone he wore around his neck. Wybie sighed and blew his hair out of his eyes. He was trying to grow it out like his dad's, but so far it had only gotten long enough to get in the way…

When Wybie was 13, he'd gotten a call one day from a man who thought he might be Wybie's father. It turned out he'd gotten a letter from Wybie's mom that she'd written 16 years before telling him about Wybie. Wybie and Gramma had flown out to meet him in New York, and, after spending a day in the DNA lab, it turned out that Jeremiah Stone was in fact his dad. Overnight, Wybie had a real father and an older half sister named Katie, both of whom had the same wild, curly hair and big, goofy ears as him and who made him feel welcome at once. Wybie's dad, as it turned out, was a roadie for Alice Cooper, and went with him on tour all year round. He and Gramma decided it would be better for Wybie to stay in Ashland and have a stable home, but he got to hang out with dad and Katie during the summers and at Christmastime.

As these thoughts floated through Wybie's mind, he made a mental note to himself to call dad this weekend. He stopped fiddling with his earring and stared at the clock again. The second hand was so close to the end of the day he could taste it.

The bell rang, and Wybie jumped out of his seat and headed out of the room so fast he almost banged his head on the doorframe. His whole childhood, Wybie had wished to be taller, but now, he wasn't so sure he liked it. Wybie was 6'4", tall enough to be on the basketball team in the blink of an eye-if he was into that sort of thing, but it just made him seem more skinny and awkward. It made his ears seem bigger, and his pants seem too short, and it made him clumsy as hell. Wybie ducked around the doorframe just in time and headed out to the hallway. He went to his locker and dumped in his books without even looking at them. He sped out of the school and into the parking lot and saw his favorite sight of the day.

Coraline Jones was leaning on his black, 1965 Harley panhead, Lillith, (Wybie's 16th birthday present from dad) with a look of amusement on her face. Wybie smiled. She was taller, with wider hips and thicker legs and… a more…ample chest… but she was exactly the same as she'd always been. She crossed her arms as she saw him coming and smirked.

"You're late" Coraline fiddled with the blue stone around her own neck and brushed a lock of messy blue hair behind her ear.

"Gimme a break" Wybie shrugged as he pulled on the black leather jacket Coraline had bought him for Christmas "Mr. Woods never shuts up. I swear to god that man is a Stepford teacher."

"Alright, whatever." Coraline said "Now come on. We've gotta go if we wanna get to town and back."

Wybie smiled, and got on the Lilith. Coraline pulled on the extra helmet Wybie'd bought at the army navy supply store as Wybie pulled on his welding helmet and kicked the kickstand out from under them. He revved the engine and they sped off. Coraline wrapped her skinny arms around Wybie's waist to keep from falling off. Wybie was glad that his mask hid the goofy smile his face melted into. When they were younger, Wybie'd had a huge crush on Coraline, but now, he loved her more than anything in the world. She was the coolest person he'd ever met in his life. She was his best friend, though, so he'd spent the years since 8th grade watching Coraline fall for guys and get dropped by guys and get over guys, only to be there for her to rant to and cry to and have Gramma's chocolate chip cookie binges with. Time had not made the idea of telling her his feelings any less horrifying, so he never did. He just stayed by her side and hoped that one day, the Other Coraline's promise would come true- that one day, she'd look up and realize that he'd always been there. In the meantime, of course, he had the physical thrill of her arms around his waist to and from school-not much, but better than nothing.

They rode into town, Lilith growling and grumbling and generally disturbing people the whole way. Wybie stopped outside of the flower shop and waited as Coraline ran in and emerged with 2 white roses.

"Why white ones?" Wybie asked.

"They were out of lilies." Coraline slipped the roses into her coat as she got back on Lilith. Wybie was glad that the sound of the bike revving up covered the sound of his heart pounding like a drum as she held onto him again.

They rode out of town to the pink palace and hopped off Lilith. Wybie leaned it against the front of the house- a gesture of habit- before running up the front steps to the door. As they walked into the house, they passed Coraline's mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table doing a crossword puzzle.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Jones" Wybie said, the manners from Gramma kicking in.

"Oh, hi there, Wybie" Mel said " Coraline how was school?"

"Fine mom" Coraline said shortly, giving Wybie a look "listen, we're gonna go upstairs."

"Do you want anything to drink or…"

"Thanks mom, "Coraline said "but we'll be fine. "

"Alright then" Mel smiled and watched Wybie be pulled up the stairs by her firey, blue haired daughter

"Don't forget to leave the door open!" she called

"Got it, mom" Coraline called from the top of the stairs. The "door open" rule had been in place in the Jones' household since Wybie turned 13. Wybie supposed Coraline's parents were worried about them getting too friendly, but Wybie could have told them that wasn't a problem- first off, Coraline wasn't interested in him like that, and more importantly, Wybie was a gentleman. He smirked as Coraline sped down the hall and closed the door to her room so that she could change out of her uniform. Wybie pulled off his own white button down to reveal the baggy batman t-shirt underneath. He stuck the shirt in his pocket and leaned against the door.

"You know," he called "you don't have to dress up like last year. I doubt they care what we look like"

"Shows how much you know." Coraline yelled through the door "Where's your respect for the dead?"

"You don't have to spend an hour getting dressed for someone just to show you respect them, Jonesie."

"Well then," Coraline opened the door in a short black dress that must've been new (Wybie would've remembered it) "It's a good thing I'm already changed, isn't it?"

"Woah," Wybie chuckled, the only response his brain seemed able to produce as his eyes sped to engrain in every detail "what, do you have a date after?"

"shut up!" Coraline punched him in the arm "Mom bought it for me, I don't have anything else black that fits me right now…" Coraline grabbed a hoodie off of the hook on the back of her door and zipped it all the way up.

"I know it looks stupid…" Coraline said sullenly "so just shut up about it, okay?"

"You don't look stupid." Wybie said quickly "You look… nice. I just wasn't expecting that. Now I look like a bum."

"But you _are_ a bum" Coraline smirked

"That's beside the point." Wybie rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you ready?"

Coraline nodded and handed him a rose. They walked solemnly into the sitting room and kneeled in front of the little door. Coraline opened it. Inside the tiny closet was now a candle, a photo-booth strip, a loose leaf doodle, and a heavy, black key. It was the shrine they had made to their other selves. Wybie reached into his pocket and pulled out a book of matches to light the candle with. They bowed their heads and sat in silence for a moment.

"Hey you guys," Coraline spoke first "well, it's been another year since you saved our lives, and we just wanted to come and pay our respects again" she placed her rose in the shrine.

"Thanks" Wybie put his next to hers "for everything."

They were silent again for a long time. There didn't seem to be much that needed to be said. Wybie knew that his other self was always watching over him, so there was no need to update him on his life or anything.

"I had a dream about her last night" Coraline said after at least 5 minutes of silence. "The other you was there too"

"What'd she say?"

"She said that I already had what I wanted."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Coraline shrugged. "Do you remember when we were…there, and I saw you with her, and I started yelling at you?"

"I guess" Wybie said "why?"

"No reason, really." Coraline said "I've just been thinking…"

"About?"

"About why seeing you with her made me so mad. It was just like… I wanted to kill you."

"More than usual?"

"God! Don't talk like that! I'd never want anything like that to happen to you!" Coraline moved to punch him, but for once, Wybie dodged her. She lost her balance and fell into him. Wybie felt his heart pounding through his ribs. He hadn't been this close to Coraline since they were kids. Coraline was staring at him with those soft, hazel eyes. He wanted to laugh it off or act as if the moment hadn't happened, but he couldn't stop staring it her. Coraline was blushing. He was probably creeping her out. She probably wouldn't want to hang out with him anymore. He'd blown any inkling of a chance he'd had with her. Goddamnit.

"Anyway…" Coraline looked down awkwardly "you wanna know the reason I was so mad?"

"Uhh…" Wybie was speechless "S...sure"

Coraline looked up at him again. There was something different in her eyes. They looked even prettier than usual. Wybie felt his ears getting hot as Coraline leaned in further and whispered.

"Because I don't ever wanna see you with anybody who isn't me."

"What?" Wybie was stunned.

"I'm sorry." Coraline pulled away from him looking hurt and embarrassed "I don't know why I just told you all that. I mean, I don't want you to feel bad that you don't like me like that. If it's not too creepy for you, we can just stay friends…"

"What are you talking about?"

Coraline stopped babbling and looked at him, stunned. "Huh?" was all she said.

"I've always loved you, Coraline" there. He'd said it. "Ever since we were kids."

Coraline looked at him for a moment, then smiled and tackled him. She leaned in, then gently, ever so softly, she gave Wybie his first kiss.

It was a kiss about years of being more than friends, but less than lovers.

A kiss about summers out by the creek in the woods and winters in Wybie's room watching old horror movies.

A kiss about the time Wybie went careening off his bike into a rosebush, and Coraline had sat and patiently helped him bandage every cut.

A kiss about the dragonfly Wybie'd caught, mounted and boxed for Coraline's 13th birthday.

A kiss about every time she'd punched him in the arm.

A kiss about every time he'd been caught following her.

But, most of all, it was a kiss about the Other Wybie and the Other Coraline. About loving each other because _they'd_ loved each other. About escaping certain death, about having enough love for each other to kill a monster, even when they were children.

The kiss deepened as Wybie wrapped his arms around Coraline's waist. He felt her tangling her fingers in his ratty mess of hair. He just wanted to stay there, in that one moment, for the rest of his life.

This was the sight Coraline's mother received as she walked up the stairs to make sure Coraline had left her door open.

The End.

~*~*~

AN: well, that's the end! I hope you liked it! Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed, you really kept me going through this! I hope you've all enjoyed this as I had a blast writing it. But don't worry. This isn't my last Coraline fic by any stretch of the imagination! I have a couple of fluff story ideas planned In my head, and, if people are still interested in her, a shorted fic from the Other Coraline's pov. So don't think I'm done yet!

Again, super-thanks to everyone

Dottie


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